How a Bangladeshi movie made its way to the Venice Film Festival

For the very first time, a Bangladeshi cinema has been selected in a competitive category of the Venice International Film Festival. The Difficult Bride has received a nomination in the 'Horizons' (Orizzonti) section of this prestigious festival.

The lineup for the upcoming edition of the world's oldest film festival was announced at 3:00pm Bangladesh time on Thursday. At 3:35 PM, Festival President Alberto Barbera announced the name of the film directed by Rubaiyat Hossain.

Previously, in 2010, Ishtiaque Zico's short film 720 Degrees was selected for the Venice Film Festival. That film was also produced by Rubaiyat’s production company Khona Talkies, which is also the Bangladeshi co-producer of The Difficult Bride.

After Meherjaan, Under Construction and Made in Bangladesh, securing a spot in the Venice competition category with the fourth film of her career was not easy for Rubaiyat, as the festival's final selection is made through multiple rounds from thousands of submissions.

Rubaiyat told Prothom Alo yesterday, "A few days after submitting the film to Venice, I learned that the organisers liked it. But they did not mention which section it was for. Now I have just learned that the film has been nominated for the festival's official section, the Horizons (Orizzonti) category."

Earlier this year, The Difficult Bride received funding from Fondazione Prada, the cultural institution of Italian fashion house Prada. By then, the film's first edit had been completed and began its submissions to major international film festivals. As the leading festivals announced their lineups, director Rubaiyat Hossain, as usual, remained tight-lipped about the film's prospects.

Films funded by Prada are often frontrunners for Venice nominations. Two months ago, the director only shared that her film would premiere at a major festival. Later, she eventually mentioned Venice but cautioned that nothing could be reported yet, as media reports can sometimes lead to the cancellation of a nomination. Finally, on Thursday Rubaiyat said, "We are premiering at Venice. You can write now."

Even in the second millennium, being a woman and making films means enduring the comments of many people. Throughout a career spanning over a decade, Rubaiyat bore everything silently but never really lost her self-confidence. She always believed she would one day reach a significant platform with her films.

Although even during shooting, she did not imagine her film would secure a place in a festival like Venice so soon.

The Horizons or Orizzonti is a key section of the Venice International Film Festival, which began in 1932. This section showcases films from young and promising future filmmakers. It highlights challenging stories that feature local narratives, unique presentations, innovative storytelling styles and themes of international significance.

Out of thousands of entries, only 19 films were selected for this category. Also featured in this section is Lovers in the Blue Night by Indian filmmaker Anuparna Roy. Last year, Anuparna won the Best Director award in this category for her previous film, Songs of Forgotten Trees.

The Difficult Bride is a psychological horror film, revolving around the story of a wedding, makeup and a beauty parlor. As a young girl prepares for her wedding, she becomes entangled in an uncomfortable and mysterious world surrounding beauty, body, faith, memory and fear.

"For my previous films, I used to think beforehand about where to submit them. But this film was a special personal journey for me. After my father passed away, I tried to find myself through cinema. I was also ill during that time. To overcome these challenges, I first shot at my own home. I didn't have any specific festival in mind. From my position, I simply shot the film, edited it, made changes as I pleased and did everything independently."

Previously, Abdullah Mohammad Saad’s film Rehana Maryam Noor received a nomination in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, marking the first time a Bangladeshi film was nominated in an official category at Cannes.

Following that, this Venice nomination stands as the next major achievement for Bangladeshi cinema. Rubaiyat said, "Being able to represent Bangladesh at Venice with my film is a great honour for me. I want the country’s cinema to reach even greater heights."

Elements of the horror genre have been blended into a social narrative in this film. Rubaiyat told Prothom Alo, "As a woman, I always tell women’s stories. This time too I have highlighted the narratives of women. Whatever I see around me finds a place in my stories. This time, I have told a familiar story, one with which many of my emotions as a woman are deeply intertwined."

The Difficult Bride received financial support from the German World Cinema Fund, the Film Institute of Portugal and Eurimages. The film is a joint production of Portugal, Norway, Germany, France and Bangladesh. The prominent firm Cinema Boutique has taken over the global distribution of the film.

Zaineen Karim plays the lead role in the film The Difficult Bride. She told Prothom Alo, "This is my first film. It is premiering at the Venice Film Festival. I am very happy and will be participating in the festival."

The film’s cast also includes Azmeri Haque Badhon, Reekita Nondine Shimu, Sunerah Binte Kamal, Shatabdi Wadud, Saberi Alam, and Mohammad Bari.

Expressing her gratitude to the artists, Rubaiyat said, "Despite knowing the limited screen time, Badhon, Sunerah, Shatabdi Wadud, Saberi Alam and everyone else showed interest and came forward. I am grateful to them all. I could not have come this far without the support of the crew."

The Venice International Film Festival will begin on 2 September and continue until 12 September. Rubaiyat intends to walk the festival's red carpet with her team and then attend major international film festivals for the next year.